A small group of placard-waving pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered near U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's vacation retreat in Hawaii on Tuesday to protest against the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
While I place myself squarely in both the "is he President yet?" and--despite my rock-solid Israeli cred--the "Free Palestine Now!" crowds, I offer a resounding, unequivocal "phooey!" to the miscreants who chose the President-Elect's vacation spot as their locale to protest Israel's air strikes. For the love of G-d, Buddah or anyone else you deem holy, focus your energies on the current Israeli/American policymakers, and give the man and his family a little much-needed space!
Locally, in Philly, protesters are gathering at the Israeli consulate to protest my motherland's disproportionate airstrikes. And, despite Hamas rockets landing in my grandfather's hometown today, I fully sympathize with their wholly appropriate and well-timed displays of outrage.
But, to those tools who mistook Obama's last vacation in the next four years for the President's ranch in Crawford, I have a breaking newsflash:
There is only one president at a time!
Let Obama take his vacation. And try to respect the constitutional fact that the President-Elect can NOT drive foreign policy. When Obama takes office, I fully expect him to do an about face from the traditional pandering to my homeland's chauvinist interests. And, if he doesn't, let's all hop in my Taurus, drive to Chicago, and pepper him with vacation-spoiling earfuls. Until then, though, please follow the lead of our compatriot's in Philly and air your grievances to people who can actually affect Israeli policy!